NOTES for Act 4:32-37
32 And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. |
33 And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. |
34 Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, |
35 And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need. |
36 And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus, |
37 Having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet. |
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Today's reading from the Acts of the Holy Apostles begins with astonishing words: "Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul." Is such a thing possible? Can we even imagine it? Our unanimity, or even simply our like-mindedness, usually lasts for such a short time... More than that, it is often in the church community that we "relax" - and all our "home" problems crawl out into the light. It is well known that it is especially hard to maintain peaceful relationships with those closest to us. The same thing happens in the Church.
But the first Christians, it appears, did not have this problem. What is the point here? A special grace? Of course, without grace nothing is possible, but it seems that first of all the point is people's openness to this grace. The Lord is always the same, He is unchanging, and He not only can but wants to grant the same grace of unity to all of us, to our Church, and to our communities.
Readings for 14 April 2026
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